Even with YA characters, why I’m not taking the YA fiction route.

My in progress novel “Paper Gods” centers around 4 main characters who are young people ranging in age between 20 and 16. I know that if written a little differently, it could easily fit into the lucrative “Young Adult Fiction” category. It’s tempting to go back and rewrite the book because of the potential rewards, but I just can’t. The limitations it presents would stifle the very reasons I began writing “Paper Gods”.

I’m a strong supporter of the YA category. I like the idea that so many young people will be drawn to reading by its availability. I’ve seen what it can do for a lucky and talented writer like J.K. Rowlings. I’m a big fan of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. I’m just as big a fan of Riordan’s “Kane Chronicles” I like the idea of creating original characters that are relatable to specific readers. This is not however, the purpose of my “Paper Gods”.

“Paper Gods” necessarily has it’s feet firmly planted in the soil of the “real world”. It’s the whole premise of the novel. What if the Super Heroes of comic books, television and movies were discovered to be real and existing in parallel realities and now for the first time, they have crossed over to a world that has only know them as fantastic fictional characters? How would that affect our world? What would the repercussions be? Science, religion, morality, politics, personal relationships, popular culture would all be affected. To make this believable, my characters must be able to talk like average young adults. That means salty language at times. It calls for vivid, realistic descriptions of horrific images in the wake of some interactions with super beings. To water all of this down to fit into the YA category would dilute the very story I want to tell. I don’t want to sound artsy fartsy, but in this case, I definitely need to stick to my guns and stay true to the story’s original vision. So…that’s just what I’m gonna do!